Would that be a good idea

[Tara2]

I think 'would' refers to an imagined situation, right?
Would that be a good idea?

 

[Tara2]

'would', in this case, is a modal auxiliary verb which is used to display uncertainty, which is why the question was asked.

should 'would' be used for 'uncertainty'?

 

[emsr2d2]

Should 'would' be used for 'uncertainty'?

It can be used for uncertainty. In your example, it appears that the speaker isn't sure if "that" is a good idea or not so they are asking for someone else's opinion.

 

[Tara2]

It can be used for uncertainty. In your example, it appears that the speaker isn't sure if "that" is a good idea or not so they are asking for someone else's opinion.

So 'would' in this sentence is used for a 'request', since we often use would to make requests. Am I right?

 

[Tarheel]

It's not exactly a request, and in real life it would refer to something that has already been mentioned. Perhaps:

I'm thinking about going to medical school. Would that be a good idea?

Does that help?

 

[Tara2]

Thank you.
I see.

 

[Tara2]

what is difference between that sentence with "Does that be a good idea?"?

 

[Tarheel]

What is the difference between that sentence and "Does that be a good idea?"?

Your new sentence is not an English sentence.



________________________________
Speaker of American English. Not a professional teacher.

 

[Tara2]

Maybe I should say: "Is that a good idea?", right?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think you are right.

 

[Tarheel]

Maybe I should say: "Is that a good idea?" Right?

Yes. That would be better.

 

[Tara2]

So what is the difference between "Would that be a good idea" and "Is at good idea"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Well, "Would that be a good idea?" is a grammatically correct sentence and "Is at good idea?" is not.

 

[Tara2]

Do you mean "Is that a good idea?" is not grammatically correct?

 

[Tarheel]

Do you mean "Is that a good idea?" is not grammatically correct?

That's fine, but it's not what you posted.

 

[Tara2]

That is only a mistake in Post #13, "at" should be "that".

 

[Tarheel]

So what is the difference between "Would that be a good idea" and "Is that a good idea"?

Practically speaking, there might not be any difference between the two, but it would of course depend on context.

 

[Barb_D]

Is that a good idea? - Depending on your tone of voice it can mean (at least) two things.

Is THAT a good idea? -- We have been talking about a few things, and now you want to know if this latest idea is a good one.

Is that a good eye DEE uh? -- It's hard to write the way I"d say it, but it expresses your concern that you think it's actually a bad idea, that you see trouble ahead.


You can mean both things using "Would" but it expresses more doubt.

 

[Tara2]

I couldn't understand the tense of "Would that be a good idea?" , since 'would' is the past tense of 'will'. Maybe only the meaning of that is 'present' but in fact the form of the sentence is 'past'.Right?

 

[Tara2]

here "If I were you, I'd go home now", 'were' is the past tense but the meaning of it isn't past, 'would' acts like the 'were' in this sentence. Right? grammer